The Job Search Thread

[Tigerlily]

This thread is for everyone who is searching for a job to post about their failures and successes (but probably more about failures).

Have you tried LinkedIn?

 

[proteanmix]

LinkedIn is pretty good professional networking.

Temping is how most of my friends got their permanent jobs. One my friends has a master's degree as well and is looking for jobs through temp agencies. If she likes the organization she looks for openings. The one problem with that is the agency may charge the employer a fee and they may not want to hire depending on how steep it is.

Temping and volunteering your services to pad out your resume sounds like a good idea and so is SPAMMING! That's an excellent way to get your name out there. I did it too.

Using Employment Agencies Successfully
Temp Job | Choosing a Temp Agency
Temp Jobs - Finding a Temp Agency

If your interest is public policy/criminal justice you may want to check out state/county/city governments. I don't know exactly how you're searching but when I got my internships I typed in my field of interest into a search and got a list of all the organizations associated with that field and contacted them and asked if they had anything at all available. I got lots of nos, and a few yeses and one of them got me my second internship. Are you interested in the non-profit leg of criminal justice? There's a registry of all non-profit organizations in the US and I think it's indexed according to topic as well. There seems to be a lot of unpaid internships for 3-6 months out there. And you have a MA so that should make you extra plump and juicy!

 

[nottaprettygal]

Have you tried LinkedIn?

No, I've never heard of it. The site looks interesting. Thanks!

Temping is how most of my friends got their permanent jobs.

What kind of jobs are these? Most of the temp jobs I find seem purely administrative. However, I did find a agency that advertises jobs in non-profits and supposedly there are some research ones available. I'm definitely going to start going down the temp road, methinks.

Temping and volunteering your services to pad out your resume sounds like a good idea and so is SPAMMING!

Not to sound stupid, but what exactly do you mean by spamming? Is it just sending resumes to lots and lots of companies? This is what my dad and hubby suggested, but I have read on numerous websites that this is a bad idea. Supposedly, only two out of every 100 unsolicited resumes gets read.

Do you have a different method of spamming?

If your interest is public policy/criminal justice you may want to check out state/county/city governments. . . Are you interested in the non-profit leg of criminal justice? There's a registry of all non-profit organizations in the US and I think it's indexed according to topic as well. There seems to be a lot of unpaid internships for 3-6 months out there.

There are a lot of internships out there. However, it's really important for me to start making money now, so I don't think that an unpaid internship is an option. I am more interested in nonprofit criminal justice organizations, but I have also checked out state/county/city websites. I can't find anything at this point. So, I've expanded out to nonprofits that focus on children, education, and health.

The more I think about it, the more I think temping may be the best way to go. I will check out those websites you gave me. D.C. has a lot of temp agencies (as I'm sure you know), so finding something promising should not be a problem.

 

[FDG]

You don't have connections? Friends whose fathers are owners of midsized firms, for example? (I understand this is more of an Italian way of finding a job...)

 

[Jack Flak]

You don't have connections? Friends whose fathers are owners of midsized firms, for example? (I understand this is more of an Italian way of finding a job...)

I swear to God, if I were Italian I'd be executive V.P. of something by now *arrogance*

 

[Little Linguist]

Hmmm...is it really that hard to find a job???

 

[nottaprettygal]

You don't have connections? Friends whose fathers are owners of midsized firms, for example? (I understand this is more of an Italian way of finding a job...)

To be honest, I don't really have many friends at this point. My old friends were stoners, so I doubt they have great connections. My family (and my entire hometown, really) is very blue collar. If I wanted a job hanging mini-blinds, I got the hook up.

However, through this process I have learned how important networking is, so when I do land a job, I will try to build relationships with people in the organization. *shudder*

Hmmm...is it really that hard to find a job???

Shush. That kind of talk doesn't help. And depending on your field, it's hard to find a job that is interesting with very little previous experience.

Yesterday I sent out three more resumes and contacted a temp agency, so we'll see how that goes.

 

[FDG]

However, through this process I have learned how important networking is, so when I do land a job, I will try to build relationships with people in the organization. *shudder*

Well I don't like networking either. I just have had those friends since childhood, but perhaps here midsized firms are more common so that's why.

 

[Not_Me]

Networking is suppose to be the most effective strategy. I've actually seen it in action recently. Someone I know spent months sending out resumes with limited success. I suggested to him that he should call his old colleagues, whom he barely kept in touch with. Within 3 weeks, he got a new position.

 

[Salomé]

8+ years in the same job... very little money or respect to show for it... you bet your ass I'm looking for a job.

The key to financial success in IT, for us non-competitive INTP-types, is to specialize in future-relevant technologies. (e.g. .Net is pretty hot right now).

Specializing effectively reduces the competition. Even HR people know MCSE isn't worth sh*t but it's a way of sifting the pile without putting much thought into it. I have some specialist qualifications but they aren't current. I'm just rare and that makes me valuable. What I do doesn't require a lot of intelligence or skill, but there aren't many people who do it and there are quite a lot of organizations that need it so I get paid way more than I deserve. Maximum reward for minimum effort has always been my motto. Job satisfaction is for wimps.

Also, whore yourself out to agencies. They are the spawn of the devil, but they are motivated to place you (pimps!).

If security isn't important, consider contracting - you get a lot of experience in a lot of different environments quickly.

Also, bluff ESTP-stylie. It works.

 

[ygolo]

This thread is for everyone who is searching for a job to post about their failures and successes (but probably more about failures).

Resume: Master's degree in electrical engineering, 7+ years of Integrated Circuit experience, last 1.5 years working on custom instead of synthesized circuits. In addition, 1+ years as a software engineer, with a fair amount of software written while officially being an IC developer also.

Successes: Many business ideas partially conceived. One interview. Felt really overqualified after I heard what the job actually was, let lack of enthusiasm show.

Failures: Too comfortable in current situation to take any real risk. Slowly dying inside. Really, a lot of somatization going on. Turns out my vertigo the last few days was because of a spike in blood-pressure.

Current Status: Out-dated resume in company database. More out-dated ones online at job-search sites.

Strategy: Get over my fear of change by writing up various business plans, grant proposals, till one really inspires me to pursue as an opportunity.

Next steps: Write up plan for my next idea to see if it gets me motivated.

Have you tried LinkedIn?

Yup I've been on there for a few years now.

 

[nottaprettygal]

ygolo, your resume sounds impressive when you're just discussing it casually in this thread. I understand the lack of motivation though when you're already doing alright in the job you have now (besides its supposed soul-sucking nature).
--

Well. . . I have a job interview on Monday for a social science research position at a market research firm. The downside is that I'm having trouble staying motivated in sending out resumes to other organizations because I am convinced that this is the one.

So the goal today is to send out 5 resumes. It's actually the cover letter that takes me forever to complete.

 

[ygolo]

Hopefully, the interview went well.

 

[nottaprettygal]

Hopefully, the interview went well.

Oh. Thanks for asking. I just got home.

Three possible good signs:
1) It lasted an hour and 15 minutes, which seems sort of long
2) I was the first person interviewed for the job. This could mean nothing, however.
3) The group manager who I interviewed with personally invited me back for a second group interview. When I told the HR lady afterwards about the invitation, she seemed surprised that I was already invited back at this point.

I hate this second interview stuff though . . . and with my competition? Maybe I'll just beat them up in the parking lot.

 

[Usehername]

Oh. Thanks for asking. I just got home.

Three possible good signs:
1) It lasted an hour and 15 minutes, which seems sort of long
2) I was the first person interviewed for the job. This could mean nothing, however.
3) The group manager who I interviewed with personally invited me back for a second group interview. When I told the HR lady afterwards about the invitation, she seemed surprised that I was already invited back at this point.

I hate this second interview stuff though . . . and with my competition? Maybe I'll just beat them up in the parking lot.

Congrats on the interview.

I'm sure you'll do well on the group interview--I'd show up early, be all friendly to get a read on the other applicants, letting them talk all they want, and try to read their weaknesses. Then I'd politely and assertively rebut their discussion points I'd have hopefully figured out, keeping my mouth shut for any unforeseen topic (likely there'd be very few) unless I had to speak because I'm personally not very good with improv.

Do you know who's interviewing you? Will it be the same person as today's interview? Would they rather have a "yes-man" employee who doesn't ruffle feathers, or a spunky Gen-Y Millennial that speaks her mind?

The other thing I've done in the past is project a ditzy dumb female image in the small talk before something important, and then Te-execute everyone who had let their guard down at crunch time.

 

[ygolo]

Well, being asked to come back for a second interview is always a good sign.

When is the next one?

 

[nottaprettygal]

Congrats on the interview.

I'm sure you'll do well on the group interview--I'd show up early, be all friendly to get a read on the other applicants, letting them talk all they want, and try to read their weaknesses. Then I'd politely and assertively rebut their discussion points I'd have hopefully figured out, keeping my mouth shut for any unforeseen topic (likely there'd be very few) unless I had to speak because I'm personally not very good with improv.

Do you know who's interviewing you? Will it be the same person as today's interview? Would they rather have a "yes-man" employee who doesn't ruffle feathers, or a spunky Gen-Y Millennial that speaks her mind?

The other thing I've done in the past is project a ditzy dumb female image in the small talk before something important, and then Te-execute everyone who had let their guard down at crunch time.

The next interview is with the research group that I would be working as a part of. The idea of all interviewing together seems like a nightmare, though. I don't like having to fight for attention. I would take the strategy of trying to figure out beforehand what strengths I have that others don't and then emphasizing that within the group. I would probably want to stray away from talking about everyone's weaknesses though, in order to appear more favorable in the eyes of the interviewers.

Hopefully, all of the candidates will meet separately with them though. And hopefully, everyone who interviews this week won't get asked back. :steam:

When is the next one?

It's sometime early to mid next week. She didn't seem really firm on the date, unfortunately.

I'm going to keep sending out the resumes, but I'll be pretty devestated if I don't get this position. It is absolutely perfect for me.

 

[Usehername]

The next interview is with the research group that I would be working as a part of. The idea of all interviewing together seems like a nightmare, though. I don't like having to fight for attention. I would take the strategy of trying to figure out beforehand what strengths I have that others don't and then emphasizing that within the group. I would probably want to stray away from talking about everyone's weaknesses though, in order to appear more favorable in the eyes of the interviewers.

Hopefully, all of the candidates will meet separately with them though. And hopefully, everyone who interviews this week won't get asked back. :steam:

I definitely didn't read properly. It does seem way less cutthroat an environment to interview with the employed group than the want-to-be-employed group. Nvmd then, your analysis is way better if you're not trying to edge out the competition during the interview--far different situation!

Good luck.

 

[nottaprettygal]

I definitely didn't read properly.

Actually, it's not just you. I'm not even firm on the details either. It may be meeting all together, like you said. I guess I was too busy dancing around in my head to actually listen to what she was saying to me. Guess I'll find out soon enough.

 

[Grayscale]

Resume: highly certified, no degree, architectural experience in large enterprise networks. be careful about who you give this to, recruiters will nag you for years even if you already have a job

Successes: from what i remember, ive gotten an offer from most jobs ive interview for. for my current job, i aced a 2 hour technical interview over the phone and they called me a few hours later with an offer. im sure i would fail horribly for anything requiring good social skills, but past that my technical prowess has sold pretty well.

Failures: being good at something doesnt mean youll enjoy it

Current Status: applied for commensurate top-tier troubleshooting position with another team

Strategy: find something i dont find boring for the time being

Next steps: going to college to study mechanical engineering in 1-2 yrs